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The 22nd annual ESPY Awards ceremony just helped raise $6.5 million this year for cancer research, three times last year’s amount. Over $23 million has been raised since the Jimmy V Foundation took root on the blockbuster sports network of ESPN.

In 1993, the year that the foundation’s namesake, Jimmy Valvano died of cancer, Stuart Scott joined ESPN as a promising young journalist. He changed the tone and language of sports broadcasting, making it more true to the source points with a “boo-ya” and a courageous quip from the ‘hood in almost every sportscast. But for the last 7 years Scott has battled a rare form of cancer.

He received the Jimmy V Award this year. His acceptance speech was one for the ages, one we can all turn to in an hour of need, or whenever we send out invitations for our own pity party.See it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y6hOb0c1yc

He started with axioms that we should all know but lose in the hassles of daily life.One was: “Our life’s journey is really about the people that touch us.” Another was a show stopper.

“When you die it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”

The show stopped due to applause. And perhaps many paused to privately remind themselves that what we do for others is worth more in the end than what we do for ourselves.

And when we get sick or tired or both, we should remember Scott’s words:

“Fight like hell. And when you get too tired to fight, then lay down and rest and let somebody else fight for you…I can’t do this 'Don’t Give Up' thing all by myself. I got thousands of people on Twitter to encourage me.” I thought, “So maybe there is something redeeming about Twitter after all. What I really thought was, “And I’m complaining about being tired because of a 7 am conference call?”

And then he added what many would not have expected, giving credit to the humans, rather the hearts, inside the corporate suits. “I’ve got corporate executives, my bosses…this is true…who will text message me… and say ‘hey a, heard you had chemotherapy today, want me to stop by and pick you up something to eat and bring it to you?’”.

“Whose boss does that?” he said with a laugh.

His prideful answer was, “My bosses do that.” ESPN could not have paid for better goodwill advertising at any price than those few words.

He had a 7 day stay at the hospital before this occasion and did not know if he would be able to attend. In his words, “I had liver complications. I had kidney failure. I had 4 surgeries in a span of 7 days.” He said during that hospital organ crash he couldn’t fight. But returning to his multi-layered theme, he said others fought for him. The doctors fought. The nurses fought. His family slept there on a cot by his side with no blame to anyone for the related discomfort.

He had tubes in every part of his body. And to make sure the reality stayed on stage yet talking like it was in the living room, “Guys when I say every part of my body, I mean E-V-E-R-Y part of my body.”

His humor was irrepressible but no one could laugh.

So he talked about crying.Unlike the image of most ESPN sportsmen, Stuart admitted in full vulnerability, “I needed to cry.”

If there was still a dry eye in the house at that point, the drought ended when he started talking about his two daughters. “You two are my heartbeats” he said.And with emphasis on every syllable, he added, “I am standing on this stage tonight because of you.” Then he looked at the youngest and said “Give me a hug because I need one.”I thought of my two daughters with heightened appreciation.